


Law of Beauty

by Tarlan



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Character Study, Community: fanfic100, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-01-12
Updated: 2007-01-12
Packaged: 2017-10-21 11:56:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/224927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney has a law of beauty.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Law of Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the LiveJournal Fanfic100 challenge. Prompt 005. Outsides.

Rodney had learned from his school years that being beautiful on the outside had no bearing on what lay within. He could recall the _beautiful people_ from school. First there was Amy Lee, the cheerleader with legs up to her armpits, flawless skin and blond tresses that cascaded down the back of her nubile body. He recalled the way she would leap and kick, hips swaying hypnotically as she flaunted everything she possessed. She had the face of an angel and the temperament of a serial killer; cold, ruthless and cruel to anyone who was not part of the same beautiful clique. She would simper and preen, teasing the _lesser beings_ around her, and putting them down with cutting remarks if they dared to reach out for what she flaunted.

When he asked her to the dance, she looked at him as if he was a piece of dirt on the bottom of her shoe before mocking him so loudly and publicly that he thought he would never feel comfortable around a beautiful woman ever again.

He was in love with Greg Howing, the school's best hockey player who had everything he needed to reach the pro-circuit. At eighteen years of age, Greg was tall, muscular and rakishly good looking with deep blue eyes and tousled hair. He struck poses wherever he went, as if life was one long modeling assignment. When he realized that sixteen-year-old Rodney had the hots for him, he organized a little party in the darkness of an alley that consisted of Rodney, Greg, two of Greg's friends and their hockey sticks. The bruises took weeks to fade from his back and legs, and Rodney could only be grateful that the _jocks_ were disturbed by Mr. Chong when he came out to empty trash into the dumpsters at the back of his restaurant. Rodney would not allow Mr. Chong to call the Police and had limped home. When his mom had asked why he was limping, he told her he had tripped over in the dark because he was too ashamed to tell her the truth, that he liked the bodies of other boys as much as he liked girls.

Rodney promised he would never openly reveal that side of his sexuality ever again.

Over the years, he developed a law of beauty; the more beautiful a person was on the outside, the uglier and more stupid they were on the inside. Of course that never stopped him from lusting after the beautiful people. Instead, he simply learned to be a little thick-skinned around them, becoming oblivious to their snide comments and sneers.

That law stood him in good stead until he met Samantha Carter, and then he had to revise the law to include brains as an exception. In all other respects, Sam followed the usual pattern of looking down on him as if he was a commoner ogling royalty, but Rodney no longer noticed unless the beauty in question slapped him around the face or otherwise humiliated him.

Then he met Daniel.

Admittedly, he had to subtract the glasses from the beauty quotient because that slight imperfection hid wondrous blue eyes but, in all other ways, Daniel was beauty, brains, and the nicest person Rodney had ever met outside of his sister. Daniel was thoughtful and kind, and a willing listener who pandered to Rodney's pangs of vulnerability, offering soothing words of comfort. If the man had not been so in love with O'Neill then Rodney might have broken his promise and propositioned the man.

Jack O'Neill; the frozen body in the alcove whose eyes seemed to follow Rodney around the room as if he could not trust Rodney not to steal the silver while everyone's backs were turned. At first it was off putting having the silent figure always present, always watching even though Rodney knew O'Neill was in stasis. After a while, he got over his jitters and actually started to look at the frozen figure, liking what he saw. O'Neill was ruggedly handsome with the kind of athletic body that screamed _jock_. Yet, everyone who knew the man spoke of him with respect for the caring person within who was willing to sacrifice himself to save the planet.

Of course, other people had to go and ruin his law of beauty. First came Elizabeth with her grace and open friendship, and then Carson with his soft brogue, brilliant blue eyes and the most caring of natures but Rodney insisted that these people were just anomalies, quickly finding flaws that would refute their presence high up on the beauty scale.

Then one day Rodney raced into the chair room to find a complete stranger lighting up the chair, the platform and his world. In all the excitement, he forgot to be flustered around the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

Two years later, Rodney sighed and snuggled deeper into the comforting embrace of his lover and best friend. His body ached in all the right places, bringing a smile to his lips as he felt the slight burn of stretched muscle. A sheen of sweat glistened on their bodies, heart beats gradually slowing as they basked in the pleasure that still danced through to every nerve ending, leaving Rodney feeling languid and relaxed. Gentle fingers carded through the short, damp strands of his hair, fleetingly tracing a path around the curve of his ear. He felt soft lips pressed against his temple, with warm breath murmuring unintelligible endearments.

His law of beauty crumbled into dust as John Sheppard whispered, "Love you".

THE END


End file.
